Tulsa Residents Hit By Tornado Hope For More City Help

The federal government denied Oklahoma's request for money to help tornado victims in Tulsa and Cleveland Counties.

Governor Mary Fallin said she's disappointed in the decision and plans to ask for disaster aid through the Small Business Administration.

4/6/2015 Related Story: FEMA Denies Governor Fallin's Disaster Declaration Request

In the meantime, storm debris from the tornado two weeks ago is piling up and homeowners are trying to figure out why the city isn't picking any of it up.

The city said all you need to do is give them a phone call or make a trip to the green waste yard, but some people don't think that's enough.

It took one west Tulsa homeowner four days to clean up his yard after a tornado swept through his neighborhood. His insurance is helping with some of the damage, but he's spent a lot of money hauling off the stuff that blew into his yard.

“This is not a lot of waste, but it does look horrible. I mean when you drive through here and you've got trees hitting your vehicles driving through, I mean, that's a problem," the homeowner said.

Now he's got to figure out how to get rid of 18 bags of trash and junk that doesn't belong to him.

"Do we want that trash here? No. I'm trying to make, I mean, my house ain't the greatest on earth, but I'm trying to make it look decent," he said.

Allen George's yard is all cleared up and he hopes his neighbors get their stuff hauled off too.

"If that lays there pretty long it's going to start rotting. Them people who put old mattresses, everything under the sun out there, that's going to be a health problem," he said.

The city of Tulsa immediately sent crews out to clear the streets and sidewalks right after the storm, but it's only offering its bulky waste pickup program to help take care of trash and storm debris.

For $5 the city can come by and haul it off. Big trees might need to be cut up into smaller pieces and could cost more money.

The bulky waste pickup gets directly charged to your utility bill according to Solid Waste Operations Manager, Maureen Turner.

"At this time the options are the homeowner is responsible for cleaning up their storm debris," she said.

Tulsa residents can also take shrubs, limbs and downed trees to the green waste yard.

City Of Tulsa Green Waste And Yard Waste

To dump there for free all you need is a utility bill or ID.

Homeowners hope something gets done before the piles get out of control.

"Rats, snakes. Like I said, I don't get it because the city cleaned up after two or three other messes," one homeowner said.

Tulsa residents should call 918-596-9777 at least two days in advance of their normal trash pickup day to schedule a bulky waste pickup.